Made with tender Instant Pot Shredded Beef piled on a garlic-toasted bun with cheese, and served with a rich au jus, Instant Pot French Dips are the ultimate sandwich and come together with only minutes of prep!
When it comes to making tender, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth beef, nothing is faster than the Instant Pot. From Instant Pot Pot Roast to Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup to Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage to Instant Pot Short Ribs to Instant Pot French Dips, these recipes prove that pressure-cooking beef produces amazing results.
Reasons to Love Instant Pot French Dips
- Insanely Delicious. Made with super tender beef piled on a garlic-toasted bun, smothered in gooey cheese, and served with a side of rich au jus for dipping, French Dips are a beef sandwich that is rich, savory, and nuanced in flavor.
- Family Favorite Dinner. When Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches are on the menu everyone gets excited for dinner, even the picky eaters!
- Easy Flavorful Instant Pot Recipe. With only minutes of prep work for the cook, and rave reviews from the family, these Instant Pot French Dips will quickly become a favorite.
Ingredients for Instant Pot French Dips
- Beef Roast: I strongly recommend chuck roast for this recipe. A bottom-round roast, sirloin roast, or top-round roast will work but will not become as tender as a chuck roast.
- Beef Stock: Use low-sodium beef stock or broth to help control the added sodium in this recipe. There is a lot of liquid in this recipe. Do not be tempted to cut back on the amount used. Not only does it create a delicious dipping sauce for the French Dips, but it also keeps the beef super moist and the cooking time was calculated using the full 4 cups of beef.
- Onion & Garlic: Garlic and onion add to the flavor of the au jus and beef.
- Soy Sauce: Don't be tempted to omit the soy sauce from these French Dip Sandwiches, that extra flavor adds just the right umami flavor.
- Buns: Use hoagie or sub rolls for an authentic French Dip, but in a bind use hot dog or hamburger buns. Parenting Tip: Use hot dog buns for smaller appetites!
- Butter: Spreading the buns with butter
- Provolone Cheese: Use thick sliced provolone cheese for a thick, gooey layer of cheese. Swiss cheese is a good substitute.
Recipe Modifications
- Gluten-Free French Dip Sandwiches: Use tamari in place of soy sauce and your favorite gluten-free bun. It is best practice to check to ensure your beef stock or beef broth is gluten-free as well, as this can vary from brand to brand.
- Swap Mayo for Butter: For richer results, try swapping out the butter for mayonnaise when toasting the sandwiches.
- Dairy-Free Modification: Use mayonnaise in place of butter for toasting the buns and omit the sliced cheese from the sandwiches.
How to Make Instant Pot French Dips
The following steps and tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post or follow along as I make this dish in the video below.
Step One: Sear Chuck Roast. Searing the meat adds texture to shredded beef, in turn adding texture to the French Dip.
Step Two: Deglaze Pan. In order to prevent a burn notice, it is crucial to scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the inner pot. This is easiest if you remove the roast first.
Step Three: Layer Ingredients. Add the remaining beef stock, sliced onion, garlic, and soy sauce to the inner pot. Nestle the seared beef into the stock.
Step Four: Pressure Cook. The amount of time this recipe needs to pressure cook is based on the size of your chuck roast. The beef needs to cook for 20 minutes per pound with a full natural pressure release to stay tender.
Step Five: Shred Meat. Once pressure has been released, remove the cooked roast from the inner pot, place it in a large mixing bowl, and shred it with two forks. It should fall apart.
Step Six: Reduce Au Jus. While assembling the French Dips, allow the rich cooking liquid to reduce and intensify in flavor, by turning the Instant Pot to Saute and letting the liquid simmer.
Step Seven: Toast the buns. To prevent the buns from getting soggy, it is best to toast them before layering the beef and cheese on the bun. For added flavor, spread the buns with softened butter. Once toasted, rub the buns with a garlic glove.
Step 8: Assemble French Dips. Layer the toasted buns with the shredded beef and sliced cheese and briefly return to the oven to melt the cheese.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your toasted Instant Pot French Dips with the reduced cooking liquid. I also recommend a side of Oven Baked Fries, Sweet Potato Fries, or Instant Pot Corn on the Cob.
Storing & Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerate: To keep the beef from drying out, it is best to store any leftover shredded meat together with the leftover au jus. Allow both to cool slightly, transfer them to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Allow the beef and au jus to cool fully, then transfer both to a freezer-safe container, leaving 2 inches for expansion, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: To prepare a French Dip Sandwich using the leftover beef and au jus, allow the meat to defrost overnight in the refrigerator if needed. Then warm the beef with the au jus in a saucepan over low heat on the stove or in a heat-safe dish in 1-minute intervals in the microwave until warmed through. Strain off the liquid from the beef, reserving for dipping, and assemble the sandwiches as directed.
Recipe FAQs
A chuck roast is the best type of beef roast to use when making French Dips. The marbling in the beef will render out as the roast pressure cooks, flavoring the au jus and resulting in incredibly tender beef. A bottom-round roast, sirloin roast, or top-round roast will work but will not become as tender as a chuck roast.
No! While searing the beef adds flavor and texture to the French Dip, it is not necessary. If you are on a time crunch or your beef is frozen, skip this step.
One of the many reasons I love using my Instant Pot to prepare these French Dips is that it can be made using a frozen chuck roast. To do so, skip searing the meat and cook for 30 minutes per pound, instead of 20 minutes per pound.
Yes! Sear the meat in a heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat on the stove in 1 tablespoon oil. Once seared on all sides, place the roast into the slow cooker with the broth, garlic, onion, and soy sauce. Cook on high for 6-7 hours or low for 9-10 hours. Shred the meat and assemble the sandwiches as the recipe directs.
Yes! To speed up the cooking time, cut your chuck roast into large 2-inch chunks. Skip searing the beef and cook for 30 minutes on high pressure with a full natural pressure release.
More Instant Pot Recipes Using Chuck Roast
- Instant Pot Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Italian Beef
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon
- Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa
Please be sure to leave a comment and review below if you gave these Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches a try.
Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 3 pound chuck roast
- kosher salt and pepper
- ½ tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
- 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 3 cloves garlic divided
- 1 small onion thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 8 hoagie buns
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened optional
- 16 slices provolone cheese
Instructions
- Hit Saute on the Instant Pot, add oil, and let heat. While the oil is heating, season the chuck roast liberally on each side with salt and pepper. Once the oil is heated, add the seasoned roast to the inner pot and sear on each side until golden, about 2-4 minutes per side.
- Once the roast is evenly seared, turn the instant pot off by hitting cancel, and remove the roast to a plate. Pour 1 cup of the beef stock into the inner pot and scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot.
- Pour in the remaining 3 cups of stock. Add in 2 garlic cloves, sliced onions, and the soy sauce to the pressure cooker. Return the seared beef to the inner pot.
- Place the lid on the pressure cooker and be sure the vent knob is pointed towards sealed. Set to cook on high pressure for 20 minutes per pound. For a 3-pound roast, this is 60 minutes.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure cooker to naturally release for AT LEAST 10 minutes, but 15-20 minutes is best, before manually releasing pressure.
- Remove the roast from the inner pot, place it into a large mixing bowl, and turn the pressure cooker back to saute. (Hit Cancel/Off THEN Saute). Let the cooking liquid reduce with the instant pot open. so that it intensifies in flavor and reduces slightly. While the au jus simmers, shred the beef with two forks.
- Place the rolls, opened, on a sheet pan. Spread a light layer of butter or drizzle with olive oil. Toast for 5 minutes in a 400-degree F oven or carefully and quickly using a broiler until just browned. Remove the rolls from the oven and rub the garlic clove over the inside of the roll.
- Layer meat and 2 slices of cheese on each roll and return to the oven until cheese melts, cooking for about 3 minutes.
- Turn off the saute function on the inner pot. Lade up the au jus into bowls, straining first if desired. Serve with the french dips.
Equipment Needed
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2017 but was updated in 2020 with a new video and tips.
Andrea W.
This was absolutely fantastic. Thank you for sharing!
I followed the recipe and made in instant pot. There was a ton of liquid, so next time I may try cutting the liquid in half.
Kristen Chidsey
I am SO glad you enjoyed Andrea! This recipe does make a lot of liquid, but we love the Aus-Jus in GENEROUS amounts. However, with the leftovers--use it to make Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup--Delicious!
Kat Horn
How much time do you think it would take for a rosy half this size?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Kat! So sorry it took me a day to get back to you--we were traveling yesterday. You can use the guideline for 20 minutes per pound for cooking roast in your pressure cooker. For this particular recipe, I may go more like 25 minutes per pound, as you want the roast to fall apart. Enjoy Kat!
Carliste
The best way to prepare shredded meat is always in a pressure cooker. I tried the recipe in the exact same way as you suggested but served it in between burger buns instead of rolls and it looked great and tasted just as great!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! We actually had it ourselves last night--it is a regular meal in our household. Pressure cooking makes the BEST shredded meat--totally agree
Diane Smith
I read this recipe the other day and knew I had to head to Aldi for the ingredients. As a rule, I do not care for their meats, but I buy a good bit of their other products. Tonight I made this exactly the way you suggested. It was fantastic and I will definitely be making it again. I told my husband, the broth could be French Onion soup. The only thing was NOT Aldi was the rolls because, due to the storms in the east, the shelves were pretty bare and there were no rolls. I had to go elsewhere for them. I am loving your site. I have made the creme brûlée three times already.
Kristen Chidsey
Oh Diane, this just made my night! I am so glad you have found my site and are loving my recipes. Stay safe and hopefully spring weather is on it's way to stay.
Steph
This might be a silly question but can I use a top round instead? My grocery store did not have bottom round. I am attempting it tonight!
Kristen Chidsey
Oh yay! Yes Steph, you certainly can. If after the 60 minutes the roast is not tender, cut it up and put back in pressure cooker for an additional 15 minutes on high. Enjoy!
Amy
I made these tonight and they turned out perfect, thanks for sharing the recipe!!
Kristen Chidsey
Love that you enjoyed them Amy!
Tammy Kettler
This was Amazing!! But I did stick the Center of my roast back in for 20 more minutes and then it totally fell apart but I was using our own beef so I wasn’t sure the weight on it . But I seen you also used leftovers for a stew ! So I am going to try that today. I am going to add fresh potatoes and carrots but I prefer the can green beans, peas and corn .. I have seen on a lot of other recipes that the use frozen. Then I always put cabbage in my soup also so I am going to put it in after the rest is done . Wish me Luck!! LOL I just wanted to let you know that I love this recipe so Thank you !! 😊
Kristen Chidsey
Oh thank you so so much Tammy! I love that you enjoyed this recipe so much! And good luck with the stew. I just made a beef and barley soup with leftover cooked beef--I need to get that recipe up soon. But I think a bag of frozen mixed veggies, cabbage, potatoes and carrots with the leftover stew meat, broth and maybe diced tomatoes sounds HEAVENLY!! In fact, I want to come over for dinner--LOL! Enjoy! And I hope you find more recipes you love on my site
Christina
I wanted to slice my meat and after 40 minutes on high it was very raw. I’m looking at your pictures and the size of my roast is nowhere close to yours but was a 4.2 lb roast. What size roasts have you used? I want to make this work for next time?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Christina,
So I tried this recipe for the 4th time to ensure directions were correct, as another person had issues with timing. My roast is 3 1/2 pounds, as stated on recipe card. For an almost 4.5 lb roast, I would cook for 15 minutes longer on high pressure. Also, be sure that your roast is completely thawed out, or you would need to add an additional 25 minutes to cooking time.
After my 4th attempt, I was still able to slice meat at 40 minutes with no issues (did let pressure come down naturally) but I do prefer the meat at 60-70 minutes on high pressure for a more tender roast. Hope that helps! I added notes to the recipe card for increasing size of roast and indicated I prefer the longer cooking time 🙂
CHICHI
Would definitely give this a try. Looks so tasty. ChichiBtw I love ALDI
Kristen Chidsey
ALDI is the best 🙂
Patty K-P
I live near a restaurant that's known for their French Dip sandwiches and there's always a line. I can't wait to try this easy French Dip recipe so I don't have to wait in line!
Kristen Chidsey
Be ready to fall in love with these 🙂
April
oh my goodness, french dip is literally my FAVORITE sandwich ever. and you can't beat the deals at ALDI! can't wait to make this <3
Kristen Chidsey
Enjoy April
Peggy Hughes
I read somewhere that bottom round is too lean for cooking in the IP! I am glad you proved this wrong as it's one of my preferred cuts for this type of meal 🙂 I can't wait to make this!
Kristen Chidsey
Peggy, it takes a bit longer to get tender, but is absolutely perfect (and no full of fat!)
Jodi
I did exactly what your recipe said to do and mine wasn't tender or falling apart. It was a tough mess. I even made sure i bought the correct meet "bottom round, Black Angus". I so wanted this to work out. Oh well, thank you for the recipe though.
Kristen Chidsey
Jodi, this makes me so sad for you! Can I ask a few questions? Were you sure to set on high pressure? Did you allow the pressure cooker to release naturally for at least 15 minutes?? That is crucial for tender meat (sort of like how you would let meat rest before cutting to keep it juicy) And what size roast did you use?
Don't discard the meat, place it back in IP and set again for another 20 minutes and let naturally release for another 20 minutes. It should be super tender after that.
Mrow
I had the same experience as the person above. Followed your directions exactly & it was tough. You may want to edit your instructions & include the put back in for additional 20min.
Kristen Chidsey
Oh man, so sorry. I am remaking this today (for 5th time) to see if I can help troubleshoot better for you!
Jess
Sadly, same experience here. 3.5 lb bottom round on high pressure for 60 minutes, natural release 15+ minutes — the meat was tough and thermometer read near 200! (160 is considered well done) I’m glad to report that the flavor of the au jus and prep of buns and cheese made for a delicious meal regardless! I’m hoping to figure out what we can change to get a tender falling apart result.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Jess! I am glad you were still able to enjoy dinner, but sorry your meat was not as tender. I state in post (under ingredients) that chuck roasts are the more tender cut. Bottom Round Roasts work perfectly but don't shred (or fall apart) as easily. In the future if your meat is not tender after cooking, take the meat out and slice and put back in the pressure cooker for another 10 minutes in the aus jus--it will help it become a bit more tender (and cooking beyond 160 is okay in this instance) Hope those tips help!
Tara
Yum! Such a great use of the pressure/slow cooker. I have actually never had a French dip sandwich before. Definitely need to start with this.
Kristen Chidsey
You certainly need to give it a try!
Tiffany
We love French dip sandwiches! I always buy healthy deli meat but this looks super easy and delicious. I’ll have to try this method instead!
Kristen Chidsey
This is super easy Tiffany! And so much cheaper than deli meat--not to mention tastier 😉
Angela
I've never heard of these - they look so tasty though - I love beef cooked like this.
Kristen Chidsey
Oh Angela, you have been missing out. You must try these!
Lisa
I haven't made a french dip in years -- but I desperately want to dive into that sandwich. Love that you can do it in the pressure cooker!
Kristen Chidsey
You need to make these so you CAN dive into this sandwich <3